Innovators in Health

What Innovators in Health does

Innovators in Health (IIH) is a non-profit organization founded in 2007 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by Manish Bhardwaj and Bill Thies, and operating in rural Bihar, India since 2010. Headquartered in Keota, Dalsinghsarai, Samastipur district, the organization employs 51-100 staff and delivers a community health worker (CHW)-led healthcare program serving approximately 6.5 million rural residents across 20 blocks of Samastipur and 4 blocks of Begusarai districts, with a separate Drug-Resistant TB catchment of 15 million spanning Samastipur, Begusarai, and Madhubani.

IIH operates three integrated program areas. The Tuberculosis (TB) Program, the original offering from 2010, covers both Drug-Sensitive TB (322,597 community referrals, 30,036 diagnoses, and 28,932 treatments through December 2024) and Drug-Resistant TB (24,730 referrals and 2,006 diagnoses from 2022 to 2024), and includes the 99DOTS medication adherence system developed in partnership with Microsoft Research India. The Maternal & Newborn Health (MNH) Program, launched in 2015, accompanies women from the first trimester through six weeks postpartum, with reported outcomes including neonatal mortality reduced from 37/1000 to 19/1000, institutional deliveries rising from 53% to 93%, and zero maternal deaths in the program catchment. The Mental Health Program addresses maternal depression in a region with roughly 0.3 psychiatrists per 100,000 population, using an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) platform in local dialect alongside doorstep screening and counseling.

The organization's business model is grant-funded philanthropy with all services provided free of cost to patients. Revenue sources include grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (including two 2018 Grand Challenges Exploration Grants and a 2014 Grand Challenges in TB Control award for 99DOTS), Stop TB Partnership/UNOPS (six TB Reach grants since 2017, most recently Wave-11 in 2024), HCL Foundation (Rs 5 crore / ~$602,900 in 2023), India Health Fund (TATA Trusts & Global Fund, 2016), Microsoft Research and Microsoft grants (2014-2015), USAID, and IKP, supplemented by individual donations through Network for Good. The go-to-market is community-led, with CHWs, local government representatives, informal medical practitioners, and laypersons forming a referral network, and all services delivered through public health institutions (PHIs) that IIH strengthens rather than bypasses.

Name

Innovators in Health

Legal name

Innovators In Health

Website

https://innovatorsinhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Innovators in Health is a Bihar-based non-profit that delivers community-health-worker-led TB, maternal & newborn, and mental health services to approximately 6.5 million rural residents, using mobile and IVR tools to bring doorstep care to underserved populations. Founded at MIT in 2007.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Healthcare Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (621610), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Health Care and Social Assistance (62)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Primary Care for Underserved Populations (e.g., migrant, homeless, refugee clinics) (HLAFAGAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

School-Based & Community Women’s/Children’s Health Clinics (HLAFAJAO), Maternal Mental Health Telehealth (perinatal anxiety/depression, support programs) (HLALAHAH)

Keywords

• Community healthcare delivery
• Tuberculosis treatment programs
• Maternal newborn health
• Rural health services
• Medication adherence technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Bihar

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropic Grants: IIH operates as a non-profit organization funded primarily through grants from foundations and development organizations. Major grants include HCL Foundation, Gates Foundation, Stop TB Partnership, India Health Fund (TATA Trusts & Global Fund), and Microsoft Research.
2. Donations: Accepts donations through Network for Good platform to support ongoing healthcare programs in rural Bihar.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Innovators in Health delivers community-based healthcare services to rural populations in Bihar, India, free of cost to patients. Its core offerings include tuberculosis (drug-sensitive and drug-resistant) detection, diagnosis, treatment, and adherence support; comprehensive maternal and newborn health services from pregnancy through postpartum; and mental health screening and intervention for mothers. Services are delivered at patients' doorsteps by trained community health workers (CHWs) supported by proprietary technologies including the 99DOTS medication adherence system and an Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) for maternal mental health.

Product overview

Innovators in Health operates a comprehensive community-health program serving approximately 6.5 million rural residents in Bihar, India. The organization offers three integrated program areas: a Tuberculosis (TB) Program (initiated 2010) covering drug-sensitive and drug-resistant TB across multiple districts; a Maternal & Newborn Health (MNH) Program (initiated 2015) providing antenatal through postpartum care; and a Mental Health Program focused on maternal depression. These programs work through the public health system with community health workers delivering services at patients' doorsteps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tuberculosis (TB) Program Community-based TB detection, diagnosis, and treatment program operating across Drug-Sensitive TB (20 blocks of Samastipur and 4 blocks of Begusarai) and Drug-Resistant TB (Samastipur, Begusarai and Madhubani districts). Services include community referrals, doorstep screening, patient accompaniment, CHW training, home drug delivery, and navigation between public and private care. Provided free of cost to patients.
• Maternal & Newborn Health (MNH) Program Comprehensive maternal health program accompanying pregnant women from first trimester through 6 weeks postpartum, including high-risk case identification, 24x7 emergency response, skilled birth attendant support, behavioral change counseling, and a community counselor cadre. Delivered at patients' homes free of cost.
• Mental Health Program Mental health intervention for expecting and young mothers (child up to 1 year old) featuring door-step screening, Interactive Voice Response System (IVRS) platform for psychoeducation in local dialect, home-based counseling sessions, CHW training, and district mental health program operationalization. Free of cost to patients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Neonatal mortality reduced by nearly half: from 37/1000 to 19/1000 in catchment areas
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Microsoft Research (India)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2014Partnership for development of 99DOTS - a medication adherence system for TB patients. Selected as one of 15 winners of Grand Challenges in TB Control funded by Gates Foundation, USAID, and IKP. Microsoft provided technical expertise and the 'Upgrade Your World' grant in 2015.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2007IIH started at MIT in early 2007 as a student group responding to the inaugural Yunus Challenge. Won the Yunus Challenge and MIT IDEAS competition. Co-founders Manish Bhardwaj (PhD EECS) and Bill Thies (PhD Computer Science) are MIT alumni.
• Bill Thies (Co-founder)coreOthers · 1 January 2007Bill Thies is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and co-founder of IIH. He received his PhD from MIT in 2009 and is a MacArthur Fellow. His research focuses on technologies for socio-economic development in healthcare and education.
• Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values at MITminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoth Manish Bhardwaj (CEO) and Kentaro Toyama (Board member) are Fellows of this center at MIT.
• Karma HealthcareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJagdeep Gambhir, IIH Board member, is CEO and co-founder of Karma Healthcare. Jagdeep was IIH's founding program manager and launched the TB treatment program in rural Bihar.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Operation ASHA: India-focused non-profit delivering TB diagnosis and treatment adherence in underserved urban and rural communities using a community-provider model with eCompliance biometric technology. Most directly comparable peer: same disease (TB), same geography (India), same tech-augmented CHW delivery approach.
• Jan Swasthya Sahyog: Community-health non-profit serving rural and tribal populations in Chhattisgarh, India, with doorstep health services, CHW training, and a focus on women and children. Comparable rural-India community-health delivery model, though focused on a different state.
• Swasth Foundation: Mumbai-based non-profit operating a network of health centers and digital health services for low-income urban and rural populations in India. Comparable non-profit primary-care delivery model targeting underserved Indian populations, with some technology integration.
• Last Mile Health: Non-profit focused on training and deploying community health workers to deliver primary healthcare in last-mile settings, primarily in Liberia and across Africa. Directly comparable CHW-led rural healthcare delivery model with technology enablement and government partnership.
• Possible Health (formerly Nyaya Health): Non-profit delivering community-based healthcare in rural Nepal through CHWs, government partnership, and data-driven quality improvement. Comparable CHW-led delivery model, low-resource setting, government-NGO collaboration approach, and tech-enabled care.

Broad incumbents

• Partners in Health: Global non-profit providing community-based primary healthcare in low-resource settings across Haiti, Rwanda, Peru, and other countries, with deep CHW accompaniment models. Comparable in mission and CHW-led accompaniment approach, though globally scaled rather than India-focused.
• PATH: Large global health non-profit working on TB, maternal and child health, and digital health innovation across 70+ countries, including India. Broader scope and global footprint but overlapping programmatic focus areas (TB, MCH, health systems strengthening).
• CARE India: Large Indian non-profit implementing maternal-child health, TB, and women's empowerment programs across multiple Indian states with significant Bihar presence. Comparable mission, India focus, and program mix, though much larger scale.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): Global health non-profit working on HIV, TB, and maternal-child health in low- and middle-income countries with major India operations. Comparable programmatic overlap (TB, MCH) and government-partnership model, though operates at much larger scale and at policy/system level rather than doorstep delivery.
• Population Foundation of India: India-focused non-profit working on family planning, maternal health, and adolescent reproductive health through advocacy, community interventions, and government partnerships. Comparable India focus and women's-health overlap; previously employed IIH board member Jagdeep Gambhir.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovators-in-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Innovators in Health